


Straight On 'Til Morning

by IncreasingLight



Series: Lost Boys [2]
Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: F/M, Liam keeps trying to ask and Sara doesn't answer, Marriage Proposal, Post-Game(s), Weddings, hints for future fics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-09
Updated: 2018-01-09
Packaged: 2019-03-02 13:27:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13319088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IncreasingLight/pseuds/IncreasingLight
Summary: This is the epilogue that turned into its own fic, wherein Liam Kosta tries to ask Sara Ryder to marry him and repeatedly fails to both ask properly and get an answer.It's silly, and fun, and in general, complete fluff.  Don't look for plot in here.  It's a 7300 word epilogue to "Second Star to the Right'.





	Straight On 'Til Morning

The first time Liam _tried_ to propose to his girlfriend didn’t count.

He’d decided as much, after the fact. The jumpjet dive had gone almost perfectly, aside from the landing being strong enough to bruise his tailbone.  He’d seen her arse afterward – and the bruise that took up half a cheek.  It was fine for him to get a little banged up, but her? 

He could go the rest of his life without having to explain to Lexi about why their arses hurt – and have to explain that, no, it wasn’t what she was thinking. At. All. 

But that was beside the point.

Their ‘weekend’ away went brilliantly, with them answering the questions neither of them had had the time to ask, and telling silly stories about their lives before. Not to mention the sex.  Because, damn.  He’d never had such an amazing ‘dive partner’.  And the way she snorted when he called her that… made everything worth it.  Even that fucking bruise.

That whole trip to Eos felt like getting away from pressure. She’d been so relaxed when they left, that he didn’t want to ruin the mood – even if it might have made it even better.  Hard to believe, honestly.  It had been perfect.

He decided, in the end, that it was fine to put it off for a bit. Sara had a lot on her plate, and he didn’t need to add to that with personal requests.  No pressure, that was their promise to each other.  No closed doors.  A proposal might make her think she had to choose right then – love him or leave him sort of thing.  He couldn’t have that - the Archon still needed to be defeated, and a home found…

But now that was over, and as they emerged from the (hopefully last ever) vault on Meridian, it was time. His pulse hammered, but it was good.

Sara blinked in the sunlight, her pupils tiny pinpoints thanks to the stims and painkillers. It was all she could do to walk straight, but when she’d turned to him and teased him about doing something special – like kissing her in front of God and everybody…

“We should do something. Like…”

“Get married?”

‘’What?”

The kiss afterward had been just as much of an impulse – a fulfillment of a fantasy he’d had since the first time they’d met back in the Hyperion’s cryo-bay. He relaxed when she had responded so positively, cupping his face and pulling him closer.  It wasn’t a ‘no’. 

But it wasn’t a ‘yes’, either. He didn’t think so, anyway.

Could he say it just sort of slipped out? I mean, it was sort of planned.  He hadn’t arranged the cameras on purpose, but it was a perfect chance…

It didn’t worry him, exactly. But it wasn’t perfect.  Sara deserved better.  She deserved perfect.  Perfect place, perfect timing, perfect whatever.

And no, he wasn’t trying too hard again. He just wanted it to be right, that’s all.

 

~SOTM~

He could definitely do better, anyway.

“A ‘flash mob’,” he explained to Evfra and Jaal, and about two dozen of their compatriots at the Tavataan. They’d reserved most of the tables for the occasion.  “It’s a dance to a pre-determined song.  You just send along the time and navpoints to anyone that might be interested, and a vid of the moves they need to know, and they show up at the right place, and go for it.  In this case, outside the governor’s office, two days from now, 1240 hours.”

“And you are doing this to propose… marriage?” Jaal was still struggling with the concept – Angarans made alliances - and Evfra, who Liam had included in the conversation because of his love of karaoke, was even more so, with his limited grasp on human customs.  “You two are already devoted to each other.  You are a family.  You’ve said so.”

“Well, yeah, but-“

“Why the ceremony?” Evfra was blunt. “Just have her join the mothers of your household, and post the announcement.  I’ll help you with Pashan, if you need assistance with the paperwork.  The Pathfinder has earned that much.  She’s done so much for our people, I’m sure she will be delighted to assist.”

Mothers. Liam rubbed his head, self-conscious.  “Sara’s mother is still frozen, and mine’s back in the Milky Way, long since dead.  Colonization’s being a jerk about us getting settled, even though our job is ‘supposed to be done’ according to the Second Wave, so no house.  Not yet, anyway.  And I want to do this, not that.”

“Why?” Jaal was blunt as ever.

There was no trying to explain cultural appropriation in ten words or less. He’d better go with something easier for an excuse.  “… because I think she’ll like it?”  Liam grinned at both of them equally.  “Sara loves music.  She loves dancing.  She loves Aya.  We had our first date here, not counting Habitat 7.  It’s romantic, and shows that I put a little more thought into this than the last time.”

“The last time?” Evfra frowned, and shifted his rifle out of the way. “How many times have you… proposed?”  He directed his next to Jaal.  “Is that the correct word?”

“Yes. A formal question for the intended to join the house of mothers.  Even though they might not become a mother right away.”

“Ah. Good.  I’m learning something.”  He frowned even deeper at Liam.  “How many times have you proposed?”

“None, technically.” Liam’s cheeks heated, and he stared into his cup.  “Look, she’ll come out of the governor’s office at 1300 hours, and we’ll be there.  The music will start, and everyone will dance, and…” the song would do the work for him.  Easy.  And without uncomfortable words getting in the way of the feelings.

Again, it was almost perfect.

Sara left the government building at 1302, looking down at her Omni-Tool and talking to SAM and the on their private channel, and laughing as she waved the Initiative ambassador on her way. The meeting must have gone well.  No more issues with grumpy Salarian farmers, then, or the Initiative ambassador would have said something.

He stood at the base of the stairs, waiting, and her eyes lit up like she hadn’t seen him for a lot longer than two hours. “Liam!  Where you waiting for me?  Want to get a drink?”  Her gaze settled on the horde of enthusiastic Angara behind him, plus a few of their friends, and she blinked.  “What’s with everyone?  What’s going on?”

He held up a finger to his lips, the music started, and she covered her mouth, before grabbing the stair railing to support herself, turning white with shock, and gaping like one of the ice fish they’d started catching on Voeld now that the ice was thin enough to drill through.

“It’s a beautiful night, we’re looking for something dumb to do,” his Omni-Tool sang out, “Hey, baby, I think I wanna marry you.”

Her eyes went wide over her hand, and she flushed right to her brown roots, matching the rest of her pinkish-red hair. The strawberry inspired dye job was half-grown out, now.  How was it possible for her to get even more beautiful?

Liam was ready for the next line, pulling out a thermos, and handing it to her. “Is it the look in your eye?  Or is it this dancing juice?”

Sara looked at the cup and back at him, before toasting him wordlessly, as she untwisted the cap and downed the tavum in one swallow. Her eyes came back up to meet his, rueful and amused, before he continued.  “Who cares, baby?  I think I wanna marry you.”

Behind him, the horde of mostly Angara – with the exception of Kallo and Suvi and Peebee who were all a bit too giddy about the idea – danced their way through the rest of the verse and the chorus, with an sincere attempt at synchronization, while he gestured, and pulled out his next prop. “I’ll go get a ring, let the choir bells sing,” he rang the chimes he’d crafted with Gil’s help round and round, and then handed it to her.

She took it, dazed, staring at the musical instrument in confusion. But everybody bought their girl a ring – he had to be the first to get her these instead.  It was special, and clever...  But the look on her face… she didn’t get it. 

Shit. He should have bought a damn ring.

He was starting to get nervous now. “If you wake up, and you wanna break up…”

She shook her head, frantically, and he grinned, and continued on, reassured. “Just say ‘I do’…”

She didn’t say anything, but she rose to her feet and pulled him aside, to kiss him. Behind them the Angara cheered.

It was a great kiss. Top ten, for sure.

“You haven’t said ‘I do’,” Liam murmured into her mouth.

She smirked and kissed him again, and then, “Liam Kosta, you know I…”

But then the governor came out of her office, “Pathfinder, I’m glad I caught you!” Paaran stared at her people, all staring wide-eyed with hope at the couple on the stairs. “Did I miss something?”  The Governor shook her head.  “I’m sorry, but could I talk to you a little longer regarding immigrants interested in farming on Meridian?  I forgot to add it to our agenda.”  She took her elbow, intent on the conversation, and Sara, rueful, grimaced at him, and turned back to her job.  

She disappeared back into the building, looking at him back over her shoulder.  “We’ll talk later, okay?”  She called back.  “Meet you at the tavataan?”

“Later, then!” He raised one hand, trying not to feel disappointed.

“So…” Jaal approached. “What did she say?”

“Didn’t have time,” Liam grunted in frustration. “Paaran came out before she could answer.”  Or finish answering…

“Rotten luck,” Evfra sniffed. “I will discuss this – lack of feeling - with her later.  Come, Liam Kosta, I will buy you a tavum and you can forget your failure.”  Liam left himself be pushed in the other direction, aware of the disappointed mutterings of the Angara around them.  Anticlimatic, for sure.

But he’d get there. Someday.

~SOTM~

Maybe it didn’t matter. It didn’t seem to matter to the rest of the Team.  They were already living together on the ship, and the Team just assumed they were engaged after all his planning.  “Finally!” According to Peebee.  “Just tell me when to show up for the ceremony.” 

“What ceremony?” He asked her before Sara could, deflecting his self-consciousness at his almost-failure.

“Well, she hasn’t dumped you, right?” Peebs turned to Sara.  “You haven’t come to your senses?  So that means…”  She made kissy noises.

“I’m not an idiot, and definitely not dumping him.” Sara laughed.  “We don’t have a date, Peebee.  Give us a little time, will ya?  He only asked today!”

“So…” Liam leaned up against the research station. “Is that a yes?”

“A yes to what?” Sara blinked innocently, and then swanned off towards their room.  “I’m gonna get a shower.  Was it just me, or was it hotter than usual on Aya?  Think the vault activation messed with their climate?  Think one of their scientists is tracking it?”

“Or maybe it’s just summer?”

“Could be…” she hummed and cast him a come hither glance.

“I’ve got about three things going before I can come.”

“Bummer.” Sara sighed.  “Guess I’ll have to shower on my own then.”  She winked.  “Be thinking about you.”

“Damn.” Liam slumped in disappointment, and then turned back towards the station, and pulled up a design for a ring, eyeballing it carefully before calling up Suvi. “Hey, Suvi – I don’t suppose you have any precious stones, do you?”

“Dozens,” the woman enthused. He had to put up with an hour of excited chatter about the not-so-rare minerals on board.  “What did you have in mind?”

“Um… diamond? And maybe platinum? Unless you think we should go with titanium… it’s more durable... so maybe…”

“I can do that.” The geologist turned him towards the lab, and pulled out drawers of stored rocks.  “Pick!”  They’d collected a small crowd at this point of interested Team members, and they all clustered around him.

The rocks were all uncut and unpolished. Some of them still had dirt and sand crusted on the edges.  “Um, so I guess nobody’s thawed the jewelers yet, huh?”

She blinked at him, and then the drawers. “Oh.  I guess not.  Sorry Liam.”  She shrugged. “Still, it’s the thought that counts, aye?”

And the only person that could authorize having someone thawed out of order was the girl that he needed the jewelry for. So much for surprises…  “Just make the ring, and get the stone later,” Cora suggested from his elbow, reasonably enough.  “She’ll understand.” 

Vetra clacked, thoughtfully, “Though… If you want, I could see if anyone brought an engagement ring that ended up not being used…”

“That’s… a bit cheap, isn’t it?” Liam wavered.  Personal ring, or Milky Way adequate ring?  Which would his Sara prefer?

“No way,” Cora chipped back in. “That’s bad luck, Vetra, using someone else’s ring!”

“Superstitious human nonsense,” Vetra grumbled.

“Still, don’t want to risk it,” Liam decided. Sara would want something from Heleus.  “Thanks, Vet, but no thanks.  I want this to be about ‘us’, not about some couple that came together and didn’t make it all the way to the altar.”

“Well, what other option do you have, Loverboy?” Drack humphed.

“Do the Krogans do jewelry?” There were more Krogans of all professions thawed than anyone else…

“We like pretty rocks as much as the next species, I guess?”

“Do you polish them?”

“Why would we do that?” Drack scowled.  “Just give her the rock and let her put it on her shelf.  Wash it a little bit, if you want to go the extra mile.”

“Shit, this is… going to take some time to figure out, I guess.” Liam slammed the drawers shut, effectively ending the conversation.  “Thanks, Suvi.”

“Anytime. Just let me know what you end up using.”

<SOTM>

When the Council finally got off their arse and let them have some time off to get settled in their Meridian home, their friends helped haul their junk to the coastal cliff they’d picked out, and then got out of their way. The house had been assembled for months – waiting empty, for them to have time to live in it.  It looked, from where they stood by the Nomad, like something haunted, with dark windows, open doors blowing slightly in the gentle wind, and their odd number of crates stacked inside, covered with tarps.

It was quiet. Too quiet.

Sara had the same thought, digging through her smallest crate from the Tempest, and stretching to hang the chimes he’d made her up on their porch, where the wind caught them and blew them into a frenzy. The noise helped the sound of the wind wuthering. “I hope they don’t rust,” she fretted, climbing down off her crate-turned-stepstool.  “What did you make them out of?”

“Copper, ‘cause we had plenty.” She nodded in satisfaction, and turned to face the open door.  “Should be green pretty quick.  It’ll be pretty, right?”

“They’re already gorgeous.”

Their new home looked as if to swallow them both whole, as they stood poised in front of the open door. The only piece of furniture in the main room was their new couch and the display right in front of it.  Jaal and Drack had dropped them off yesterday.  Liam shook his head, dropped his own crate, and swung Sara up in his arms instead.  “No help for it,” he announced, and stepped through while her laughs shrieked in his ears.  “It’s too quiet, too big.  We’ve got to fix this.”

“Yep,” she wrapped her arms around his neck. “Housewarming party?”

“Party…” he dragged the word out for a moment. “Nah.  I’m more than ready for a break from a few people – aren’t you?  There’s only one person I want to spend my break with.”

“Oh,” she deflated a bit, and he dropped her on the couch. “What do you think would help then?”

He grinned, waggling his eyebrows. “We could fill it up ourselves?”

“What, like asking Drack to bring over the grandkids?” Her face lit up.  “We could teach them how to play MarioKart!”

“Not what I meant,” Liam settled in front of her on one knee. “I meant, with a clutch of our own.”  He fingered the ring he’d finally managed to have a Krogan craft for him – with a very rough polished cabochon ruby the same color as her current hair that Suvi’d tossed in her rock tumbler.  His hand tightened around it.  If she said, ‘yes’…

Sara choked, and coughed, “Now? You want to have kids _now_?”

“Why not now? Things are calming down…”

Sara looked at him sideways, “Maybe because we just moved the fuck in? What the fuck, Liam?!”  She shoved him, none too gently.

“Hey, I saw you pack the block reversals at the top of your crate,” he snarked right back. “I know you’ve been thinking about it.”  He swallowed.  “So have I, that’s all.  And… I went to a little trouble.”  He pulled the ring out, knowing the timing was all off.  “To make this.”  He smiled, glancing down at it.  “Tell you the story someday.  Bit crazy, really.”

“Oh,” Sara’s voice was small. She took the ring, and put it on, though, and his heart leaped into his throat.  “But… now?”

“Why not now?”

“Well, Mom’s still frozen.” The hand with the ring on it turned into a fist.

“You said she wanted you to fall in love,” Liam reminded her. “Been there, done that.  Do you really think that ‘grandkids’ weren’t the next thing on her bucket list?  My Mum would have forgiven me for everything ever.  And it would be a hell of a present to wake up to, right?”

Her lip trembled. “Yeah, but we’re not…” She gestured, randomly.

“Married?” He winked.  “Just say the word.”  He took her hand, and ran his fingers over the ring again.  “That’s what this is for.”

She frowned, and shoved him away to go back to the door and grab her crate. “Not if you ask like that, I won’t.”

Liam groaned, and tilted his head back. “Sara, why not?”

“Think about it,” she called back. “When you figure it out, come find me.  I’ll be unpacking.”

An hour later, he still hadn’t figured it out, but she came to find him, instead, the injections in hand, eyes narrowed, if a little red and droopy around the edges. “Hey, you sure about this?”  He held her hips.  “I didn’t mean to be an arse.  Just… I want it all with you.  My timing is never great.  Especially on the big stuff.  I wanted to do something special, and – I blew it.”

She misunderstood what he meant. “You know I want it, too, and… your timing is fine.  I’ve been planning to ask you about this for like, three months.” Sara handed him his tool.  “Lexi and Gil both say it’s just a quick sting.  You do mine, and I do yours.”  She tilted her head sideways.  “And I’m sure.  I just – I wanted Mom here for this.  Her big chance to be grandma.  I wanted my kids to have a grandma.”  Her lips trembled.

“They’ll have Drack,” Liam pointed out, sensing to leave the ring out of it. She was still wearing it, so he could maybe bring it up later.  “He out-grandmothers everyone.  His gingerbeard cookies are killer – he even shapes them like little faces.  And we’ll find a way to wake up your Mom.  She wouldn’t want you to put your life on hold for her, Sara.”  He shrugged.  “She’ll just look damn good for her age.”   

“Right. I know you’re right,” Sara tilted her head at him, and tried on a smirking sort of smile. “Strip, Mr. Kosta.” 

“Don’t have to tell me twice,” He pulled his shirt off over his head, and she kissed him quick, lips still trembling, and then pressed the glowing device to his upper arm while he fumbled to do the same to hers – already exposed because of that damn Blasto tank.

A flash of pain, a snap, and they broke the kiss, both panting at the shock. “Shit, that was no ‘sting’,” Liam whined.  “Did Jill give you painkillers?”

“Don’t be a baby.” Sara rolled her eyes, and then fished out two vials of liquid.  “Just drink this.”  She checked the labels carefully before handing him the one marked with the male symbol.  “Hormone replacement,” she explained.  “This is the stuff that Jill says really ‘boosts the batter’.”

Liam knocked his back like a shot, while she wrinkled her nose and choked, sipping. “God, that’s foul.”

“So… now what?” Liam tossed the vial down on a nearby crate.  There were so many… he didn’t think they’d accumulated this much stuff in Heleus.

“Now…” she smiled, one side of her mouth turning up higher than the other. “Now, I think you know what we do.  And we do it again, and again, until we see if it takes.”  She groaned, “Once a month I’m going to get miserable for a week.  You’d better talk to Vetra about chocolate stores.”

Liam groaned and fell back on the couch backwards. “Sounds like work.”

“Parenthood is work,” Sara sighed, and climbed over him. “We can have the blockers reinstalled, if you want.  Lexi is in Port Meridian for another few days.  She’ll understand, and won’t ask questions.”  She kissed his neck, and his hands, of their own volition, came up to meet her hips.  Like they knew that that was where they belonged.  “Or… we could try for a little while, see what happens, leave the door open.  We can always change our minds if things… change.”  The ring rested, warm now with her body heat, against his neck.

Liam glanced back at their open door – they’d never bothered to close it after he’d carried her inside. He kissed her mouth, sweetly, and then leaned her back only to stand up, go over to the door, shut, and lock it.  She watched him from the couch, grinning.  “Nah. Let’s just do this.”

Sara giggled underneath him as he crawled back over her, lifting her Blasto tank out of the way. “On the couch, Liam?”

“On the new couch, first,” he corrected, and kissed up her stomach, tossing the shirt away. “Then… the Nomad.  Tonight, tomorrow – whenever we make it that far.  I mean, we have to eat sometime, right?”

“The Nomad.” Sara deadpanned.  “You want to have sex in the Nomad, when we have a whole house of private rooms?”

“Gil isn’t around to complain, and we’ve got a few weeks leave before we have to start sneaking around to pull it off.” He reached her ear at the same time that she shoved her hand down the back of his pants and squeezed.  “I want to bend you over the seat while we have the chance.  And the Pathfinder’s baby should be conceived in a vehicle.  It’s poetic, or some shit like that.  Addison would hate it.”  He swallowed and stopped.  “You are sure you want to do this with me, specifically?”

She shoved at his shoulder to force him to look her in the eyes. “No one else, Liam.”  She paused.  “Was there something you wanted to ask me?”  The ring twinkled in his peripheral vision, but… the moment was gone.

He took a breath. “Can I knock you up, Sara Ryder?”

She shoved at him, tipping him back all the way away from her. “Not what I meant, Kosta.  Dumbass.”

“I know.” He wasn’t going to propose during sex.  That just wasn’t… right.  “But now your timing’s off.”

She crawled back over him though, laughing the whole time. “But yes, you can knock me up.  I mean, you’re here, and I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere, and I won’t let you go anywhere.  So… we might as well?”  She shrugged.  “And it will piss Scott off that we’re moving this fast, so there’s that.  Uncle Scott.”  She giggled again.  “He’ll hate it.  But it doesn’t matter.  It’s our choice.”  She leaned against his forehead.  “Let’s… do it.”  She snorted.  “Get it?”

“You’re awful.” He kissed her.

“You know you love me.”

“Damn straight.”

She was sleeping later, curled up in his arms while the Turian version of _Kate and Leopold_ played out in the background, when he whispered, “Marry me, Sara?” to her sleeping form.

He wasn’t sure why he couldn’t get it out while she was awake. But he’d work on it.

~SOTM~

The second colonization wave wouldn’t give them weekends, much less a break for longer than it took to unpack their junk and stock their home. The three weeks they were given flew by, and they were back to work, flying around and running point for the entire Initiative, getting too little sleep, and not enough personal time.

But still, a year later, Sara was four months pregnant, and already calling the baby ‘Sparkplug’, to anyone that would listen. It had taken longer than they had figured – stress messed with both of their fertility.

It didn’t help that Scott had sent yet another email to Liam about just marrying her already. He was still working on it, and her bloody brother knew it.

He’d already asked about six times, and she’d yet to answer.

Seventh time was the charm? “Make an honest woman out of ya?” Liam asked her, while leaning back against the Nomad.  They were both covered in grease – that damned Kett inorganic lubricant that got all over everything.  It seemed appropriate to channel that particular movie.

“You got a lot to offer a girl?” Sara arched her back, and the small roundness of her lower stomach – barely perceptible to anyone but him – moved Blasto’s hem, just a little bit. “Shit, come here, Kosta.  He’s moving…”  Liam wrapped his hands around, reverently.  He’d yet to really feel him.  But all the books said it would take a while…  “What were you saying?”

He lost his patience. “Just marry me already.  Dunn’ll do the job.  I… want Sparkplug here to be a Ryder-Kosta, or a Kosta-Ryder, or whatever hell order or last name will do it for you.”

“You’re not really going to name the baby Sparkplug, are you?” Cora called from the far side of the bay, keeping her from answering, yet again. It was a plot, damn it.  How many times did he have to ask?

“Nah,” Sara grinned, “My vote’s going to Han Calvin. After his father, and his father before him.”

“Oh, God,” Cora groaned. “You two are really something.”  She paused, “Not Alec?”

Sara shook her head. “Let Scott do it.  Or you can, for that matter.  And if it’s actually a girl, or twins…” Liam shuddered, “She’s Joelle.  Joelle something… or something Joelle.  We’ll figure that out if it happens.  Liam’s an only.  It has to be us that remembers.”  He kissed her, grateful, tipping her chin up to reach him.  “Lexi will give us the sex if we ask – but it doesn’t really matter.”

“What about your mum?” He asked, soft.

“My Mom’s named Ellen.  It’s almost in there already.  And she’s alive.  We’re going to find a cure, and she’ll meet her grandbaby.”  Her hands tightened on his neck.  “We don’t want generations to get confused.  Scott can use it, if he wants.”

“I think… I think he’s hitting on Gil.” Cora warned, flushing a bit. “Getting a bit complicated there.”

“So?” Sara rolled her eyes.  “Is he hurting you, Gil?”

“Don’t worry, no broken hearts here.” Gil shoved out from underneath the Nomad.  Liam looked at Sara, who got the far away worried look that suggested SAM was talking to her.   “Biggest flirt ever.  Was he like this back in the Milky Way?”  His poker face was too good for Liam to read.  He couldn’t tell if he actually meant it, or not.

Couldn’t blame Gil for protecting himself, though. Scott was pretty messed up.

“No.” Her answer was short. “Gil…”

“Jill says she’s cool with whatever, and has already offered to defend my honor. Not that I need protecting.”  Gill slipped back underneath the Nomad.  “My money is on the Charlatan.  Scott made yet another excuse this week to fly to Kadara.  He’s not there to buy mods, if you get my meaning.”  He paused, grunting, while he twisted something that needed tightening.  “I’ve got a kid to think about – I need someone who will settle down, and help keep me settled.”

“That sounded almost like an adult, Brodie!” Liam tried to lighten the tension. 

“But his job takes him to…” Sara began but SAM said something that made her break off midsentence. “Okay… I get it.  It’s not my business.”  Sara wrapped her arm around Liam’s neck, but her eyes were still preoccupied.  “You know, we could choose a new last name, Liam.  Doesn’t have to be Ryder, or Kosta.”

“What, you thinking Skywalker? Not going to happen, Sara.  Not even for you.”

She snorted, “No. I was thinking… Pathfinder.  Most early last names were jobs, Liam.  Mine’s… distinctive.”

Liam swallowed, “Yeah. Yeah, that might work.  Not supposed to be a family thing, though.  Pure accident that it ended up being you after your Dad.”  He rubbed her back, and she relaxed a little.  Good.  Stress wasn’t good for Sparkplugs, according to Lexi and Jill.  Mentally, he cursed Scott for putting this pressure on her with his behavior.  How he could lecture him about marrying Sara when he was screwing Gil over at the same time… what an arse.

“Not… quite an accident.” She took a deep breath and confessed, “Scott and I – our implants are different from yours.  SAM can only fully integrate with one of us.”  That stunned him, but she rushed on before he could ask more questions.  “But what, you think it’s too political?” she tipped her head sideways, and he took advantage, sweeping her hair to one side to attack the side of her neck where her tattoo’s lattice showed above her collar.  She shrieked, and he swooped her up, avoiding the question.

Two could play at avoiding the question. One thing he’d finally learned, that things with Sara tended to work out.  For all the best reasons.

“Not in my bay!” Gil yelled out from under the Nomad, sounding peeved. Liam nearly dropped her.  Gil shouldn’t ever sound that… emotional.  The engineer must have it bad after all…

“Get a room!” Peebee called down from the balcony. Jaal chuckled next to her.

“Peebee, they are the only ones with a private room besides…”

“It’s a figure of speech.”

“Ah, another idiom.”

“Look, you two already conceived… the hard part’s over, until you see if it lives,” Drack tossed down. “Give it a rest?  You’re keeping me up in the galley with all the noise at night.”

“Nah,” Sara said after a minute. “He’s too cute.”  She kissed his nose.

“Sorry, Drack, pregnancy makes me randy,” Liam grinned.

“’Do I make you horny, baby?’” Sara threw her head back and laughed.  “God, you’re just so fun.  How did I get so lucky?”

“Thank SAM, I guess. He suggested me, and your Dad hired me.”

“That could have really backfired. We might have hated each other.”

“Maybe your Dad knew you better than you thought.” Sara didn’t answer, just tightened her arms around his neck and kissed him again, like she was never going to stop.  Cora sighed and moved away. “I fucking love your hormones,” he muttered.

“That makes one of us.” She smirked, though.  “I guess there are a few perks.”

“Wanna get out of here?

Vetra strode in from the hall and groaned, “Really, you two? Can’t you just…”

“No?” Liam questioned, one eyebrow up.

“Just… not in the Nomad again. Please.  I don’t want to think about finding your bare asses.  My ears are still ringing.  I didn’t know human voices reached that register.”

“AGAIN?!” shrieked Cora. “I have to ride back there!  You owe me shotgun for like… the next decade, Pathfinder.” 

Gil started laughing from below. “You owe me 100 creds, Peebs.  And Liam is going to disinfect the whole interior, whether he likes it or not.  Practice for fatherhood.  Meri can project bodily fluids like anything.”

“Gross,” Peebee wrinkled her nose. “Jaal… can you spot me, honey?  I’m still paying Sara back for the escape pod.”

“No. You make bad bets.”  Peebee’s indignant sputters were overcome by Sara’s vocal amusement.

“Where do you think we conceived Sparkplug? The cargo closet?”  Liam grinned at Cora.  “It’s Sara - there is no way I wasn’t aiming to get her knocked up in the backseat of a car.  The Nomad’s the closest thing we’ve got, since SAM hasn’t found my BMW.”

“Yet,” SAM chipped in. “There are millions of possibilities, Liam, but they are not infinite.  I just need time.”

“No worries, mate. I don’t really think we’ll ever see it again, anyway.  And Cora, you know that nobody’s getting legal private transportation until they have the public system set up.  Not even Pathfinders.  Second Wave has their priorities.  Just like everybody else, we had to make do with what we have.”

“Maybe for Sparkplug’s sister?” Sara wheedled under her breath.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, Sara. One at a time.”  Liam narrowed his eyes. “And no twins!  Twins are trouble.  I’ve met your brother.  He’s a broody nag that sleeps too much.  Not to mention his horrible taste in men.”

“Hey!” Gil protested.

“No offense.”

“Offense taken.” The engineer started hammering on the underside, a bit too… enthusiastically. Liam took a little step away from the Nomad, just to be cautious.

“Aiming?” Cora focused on the key phrase, catching up a bit too slowly. “God, that means more than… once?” She shuddered.  “I should have realized that you would never go for a bed.”

“We love the bed,” Liam protested. “It’s a great bed, not too hard, not too soft…”

“Then go use it! God, even Sid has a better love life than me.” Vetra marched to the armory and slammed the door after her.  Liam politely began to steer her towards the corridor.

“When did Sid meet somebody?” Peebee called to her, but didn’t get an answer.

“SAM, lock the doors to our quarters after we get there?” Liam kept gently directing.

“Of course, Sara.” A long minute passed.  “I hoped you would name the baby ‘Sam’.”

“Not going to happen,” Liam offered. “Be like naming the baby ‘Sara’ or ‘Ellen’ or ‘Scott’.  It’d get confusing.”

“That is… logical. I have never been pregnant before.  It is a fascinating experience, with many iterations that have never occurred to me.  For example, the name ‘Sam’ has the added benefit of using letters from both your given names…”  Liam stopped listening, concentrating on the taste of her mouth, and moving back to her neck.  The doors opened, and then closed with an audible click.

“Not going to happen,” Sara confirmed, tilting her head so he could reach. “Mind tuning out for a minute, SAM?”

“Leave him on,” Liam muttered. “Maybe he could take vids instead of talk?”

She whacked him, “SAM…” she paused, “Wait, you can’t do that, can you?”

“I can do both. Engaging camera in three, two, one… and I will look away for approximately an hour, as on average, you have finished by that time.”

“That’s a dare, mate,” Liam warned. “Don’t blame me when you check back in and we’re still going at it.”

“Encrypt this!” Sara yelled, as Liam gave it his all, wrapping his increasingly heavy not-quite-fiancée around his waist and leading her to the bed. Sara shoved his favorite jacket off his shoulders and he shed it willingly enough, fisting a hand in the back of his shirt and pulling it off.

“Nice shirt,” he started, smirking, and she rolled her eyes and unzipped him before he could finish the line. “Hey, I wasn’t done!”

“You lost the right to use pickup lines with ‘repeating angel because you keep falling for me’,” she muttered, and pulled him down. “Quit showing off for the camera, Kosta.”

“It’s not for the camera, it’s for you,” he panted and dropped his mouth to her perfect tits. He stopped, and frowned.  “Wait, you taste different…”

“Ran out of sugar scrub!” She laughed, “This is something Jaal makes. Fruit based… Vetra swears by it.”

He grinned, “It’s even better.” He cleared his throat, “Smells like home.  Andromeda home.”

“Don’t get attached. Camden’s growing strawberries.”

“How do we get on that list?!”

“I’m supposed to be the one with the cravings, Liam.”

“Sorry.”

Once again, he failed to get an answer. This time, it was Cora’s fault.

And his. Somehow, Sara’s, “Yes, goddamn it, yes,” to his mumbled, “Fuck, you are going to marry me, right?” didn’t ring true.

He’d have to try again. Soon.

~SOTM~

 

He’d finally figured it out – he might be a little slow, but he got there in the end.

Liam fidgeted, there in front of Captain Dunn, Cora and Vetra behind Sara, and Jaal and Drack behind him. “So… you know I had a hard time figuring out what to say today.”  Sara’s hand tightened in his.  “I thought about a video montage, with other people saying the words for me.  But… that’s not what I want.  I want these to be my words.  So first off…” he knelt, “I never asked.  Took me a while to figure out that was why you weren’t answering.  And then you just said, ‘Before Sparkplug gets here we ought to get this done.  Dunn’s free on these dates,’ and I figured we were good.  But it’s not good.  Not really.  There’s an order to these things, and we’ve fucked up all of them.”

Sara broke into cackling laughter. “A little late, Liam,” she managed.

“Better late than never,” Liam countered, with a grin. His knees were starting to hurt.  “So… Sara Ryder?  Will you marry me?”

“Yeah, dumbass,” she whispered, face hot.

“Good!” Liam scrambled back to his feet. “Whew – don’t know what I would have done if you’d said no.”  The people behind them laughed.  “Next up…” he shrugged, “You know what you’re getting in me.  A screw-up.”  Sara shook her head.  “No, listen.  You already had your turn to talk,” he tugged her hand, “but for once, the risk is calculated.  Today, you’ve already promised to love me through all of time, and space, to be my new family, and home.”  He let one hand go to touch her rounded stomach gently.  “And that’s amazing.  So… it’s not such a risk, maybe, for me to throw this out there.  But what I want to promise is more.  I want to promise you everything.  Love taller than a monolith, deeper than a Remnant vault, more beautiful than Cora’s garden will ever be, and hotter than the deserts of Elaadan.”

Gil and Jill whooped from the audience, followed by a muffled “Ow,” followed by a hissed “Shut up, that’s my sister.”

“I know that,” Gil snapped back. “I’m happy for them!”

“Could we at least pretend he didn’t knock her up first?”

“Um, I’m pretty sure she had something to do with it, mate,” Gil hissed.

“Still…” Those two argued like they were the ones getting married. But on the other side of Scott, a quiet chuckle echoed that sounded like Vidal.  That bastard had managed to crash their wedding by coming as Scott’s plus one.  Arse.  For once he wasn’t sure that he meant Vidal, though.  Sara was more patient with Scott than he was.  Gil deserved better.  He realized he was glaring at Scott and Reyes, and that Sara was tugging his hand.

Oops?

He dragged his attention back to the moment, with extreme difficulty. “Promising forever’s a risk,” his voice cracked, and he cleared it, irritably.  “Shit.  Oh, God, I said ‘shit’ during our wedding ceremony.  Fuck it.”  Everyone laughed.  “But I - I have all the best reasons.  I don’t just want a future – I’m greedier than that.  You told me once that you didn’t just want a mediocre life here.  That you wanted more.  I… I want it all, Sara Ryder.  Until death do us part, like the old vows say.  With you.  Is that okay?  Can I promise you that?”  He narrowed his eyes.  “You already promised me no more dying.  So before you answer – think.”

Sara took her hand away to wipe her eyes, but he beat her to it, a curved finger under her eyes to catch the drops. “Yeah,” she whispered.  “Yeah, that would be good.”  She squeezed his hand, and he choked back his tears.

“All right, then,” he grinned. “Forever then.”

“Forever.” He slid the new ring home, hand shaking while she did the same for him.  “Shit, this is real?”

“Real as it gets,” Sara whispered. “And thanks for asking.  Finally.”  She was glowing, and more beautiful than ever.

As they kissed at last, Dunn declaring them husband and wife – and shit, that was scary - it finally didn’t matter whether they got engaged or not.  As always, with the Pathfinder, things tended to work out.

For both of them.

Well, all three, soon enough. Four, if you counted SAM.  A family.

And now they had all the time in the seven worlds.

Well, a few weeks and then some time to figure out yet another impossible job. But how hard could parenthood be, compared to everything that they’d been through?

He hadn’t realized he’d said that out loud, until SAM replied. “I will ask you that again in four weeks, Liam.”  Sara sniggered.

“I can live with that.” He guided her down the aisle and out of the Hyperion, feeling how wrong it was to be the one doing the leading.  Outside, the party waited, along with a whole new world that still needed exploring.  “Tell me I’m wrong again, SAM.”

“Usually.” SAM paused. “But not always.  In this, there will at least be less chance of death by starvation.  Or by gunshot wound.”

“There you go! Safer.”  Liam stopped under the aurora meridianis and drew Sara closer.  “You know, back on Earth people believed that if you made love under the aurora, you’d stay in love forever.  Wanna…” he waggled his eyebrows at her.

“Later,” she promised. “Tonight… we have a few people over, remember?”

Liam looked around at all the drones following them - where their wedding was being broadcast to every inhabitant of Heleus. A precious few invitations, but everyone got to see the ceremony.  Somehow it had ended up being the first celebrity wedding in Heleus.  “Oh, yeah, shit.”  He cleared his throat.  “Um… can they hear us?”

“Not right now.”  She frowned, "I don't think."

“Oh, good.” He bent down and kissed her again, unable to stop himself.  “Wanna dance, Sara Ryder?”

“Ryder-Kosta.” She corrected, picking up her dress.  “Because… you know, ‘Ride-her-Kosta’?  Get it?”  She giggled like a child.

Liam snorted, “That’s your worst one yet.” They’d elected not to have Dunn declare their last names – because it still wasn’t decided.  He liked this version, though, corny or not.  “Good thing I love you or I'd dump your ass because of all the cheesy one liners.”

“I know.” She smiled sweetly, and let him hold her, as their guests trickled out to the reception they’d set up under the stars they both loved.

He took a breath and asked, low and earnest. “Marry me, Sara Ryder-Kosta?”

“I just did!” She laughed again.

“Oh, right.” He kissed her again.  “Bit in the habit of asking now.”

“You can ask all you want, Kosta.” She leaned against him, and Sparkplug kicked at both of them.  “The answer’s not gonna change.”  Their dance music swelled, and she leaned even closer.  “It’ll always be a ‘yes’.” 

 

_The End_

**Author's Note:**

> There will be another fic in this series that deals with Jaal being forced to watch all the Star Wars movies. But it got longer than it was supposed to be, so... it's going to be a while.
> 
> Also, there is an upcoming fic that will deal with Scott Ryder's place in Heleus as well. Title to be determined - but probably something about windows, because I'm trying to stick with the Peter Pan theme.


End file.
